…fixing “Plugged in, not charging” in Windows 7

I had to dust off an older laptop recently and found to my dismay that the battery was not charging under Windows 7.

Apparently this is a common problem – my laptop is an HP DV9730US, but many makes and models all seem to have the same issue.

I tried the fixes that involve removing the ACPI battery manager from the device manager console, but these did not work for me.

What *did* work was:

1. Turning off the laptop,
2. Removing the battery,
3. Cleaning both sets of contacts with Isopropyl Alcohol and an old toothbrush,
4. Putting it back,
5. Turning the laptop *on*,
6. Removing and replacing the battery while the laptop was powered up and running,

Nope it won’t work, just revert back to Vista (with out service Pack2), and it will be fine or U can install XP (with out service pack 3). There is no permanent solution available for Windows 7, so if U face this problem on windows 7 just uninstalling is the only method. Don’t wast Ur time on doing some tricks like “removing batteries , pressing power button for 30 seconds …etc” I spent like this for a month and my battery is dead(really), now I brought new battery and installed VISTA x32 with out any service pack, and working like it should be. But U can install essential updates like NET framework, direct x etc individually but never go for service pack.

I have had this problem a few times, normally after a power failure while notebook lid is open. In the past I have managed to fix it with uninstalling and reinstalling ACPI battery manager.

That doesnt work for me anymore – but what I have found is that plugging in my spare charger from home (Gigabyte generic charger) causes the power light to indicate charging but it doesnt show you as being connected to mains in the bottom right corner of your screen (managed by ACPI software)
(the % charge does increase but it doesnt show you as being connected to AC mains)
I leave this charger plugged with lid closed over night and in the morning i plug in my original HP charger and it works fine.

Not sure why but it works – $20 for a generic charger vs a new laptop – i prefer to go the generic charger route

For all laptops these days there is three conductor cable that goes from the power supply to the laptop. The outer ring you see is the negative part of the terminal, inside the connector there is an inner positive ring. The very center is a pin which is “sense”. Almost always the thin wire going to the sense terminal has broken. If you crack open the case for the power supply (you don’t need to) and take an ohm meter you will see an open circuit from the center pin to the thin wire inside the power supply. You can cut the rubbery strain relief on the computer side with and exacto lengthwise, be careful and you can reuse it with some electrical tape. Desolder the three wires from the terminal, cut about 6″ from the remaining wire, strip the wire, resolder to terminal and you’re done. All of the crap like: unplug, wait, change bios, dance on one foot, etc. only “work” temporarily because you’re flexed the intermittent bad connection.

I just bought myself a new Samsung laptop (the same exact model my wife has). My wife has never experienced this problem, but it seems that my battery life is running down very rapidly (despite being in a power saver plan), and I also have not been able to find a solution to this “plugged in, not charging” issue.

Before driving over this machine with an 18-wheeler and setting the rest of the pieces on fire, I read a lot of information about this – I’ve tried removing the ACPI setings (uninstall, remove AC charger, etc. etc. etc.), cleaning out the battery, checking the cables and charger cord, and even watched a series of youtube videos on how to solve the problem until I came across one consistency online: that this is a Windows 7 issue.

My plan is this: if I cannot find a solution to this problem, I am going to let my battery run dry and try to recharge it afterwards. If this doesn’t work, I’m going to sue Microsoft Windows for yet again for ‘updating’ one of the best operating systems (Windows XP) with one of the most ridiculous operating systems (Windows 7) and stuffing it with a whole bunch of useless crap. I’ll also be happy to sue anyone who dares tell me that it must be a problem with the hardware or that I’ve done something to it.

I had the same problem with windows 7 saying “plugged in, not charging” … it turned out that I had the wrong charger for my laptop. Check with your laptop manufacturer for the exact output levels your charger should have for your specific laptop.

My laptop is a Toshiba satellite and it needs a 19V – 3.42A charger but the charger I was using was a 19V – 2.14A.

I got a universal charger with the correct output values and it works perfectly now

I have a Toshiba Satellite C655-S5049 Windows 7 with the “plugged in, not charging” and searched the internet far and wide for some kind of a solution! I tried the most popular one several times by deleting the ACPI battery manager from the device manager. The battery would make it through one full cycle and then as soon as it we fully charged no matter how much of a drain was on it, or how many times you unplugged and plugged in the power supply or the battery, it would not re-charge. I came across this post and Stephen was right. I cleaned the contacts on the laptop as well as the battery and SHAZAM!

For some out there deleting the ACPI driver might work but for me it was all about the battery. Good post and THANK YOU!!

Chris Elliott has it right, had the same problems since the beginning and just noticed the middle pin of an HP charger cable is mising. These are very thin pins on the HP/compaq (and I believe Toshiba), so may explain why there is a high rate on these laptops…

Who is this guy?

Steve Hobley works for a software company, but in his spare time likes to deconstruct all the lovely consumer goods with a goal to make unique and interesting things.

A few years ago he posted a short clip of the laser harp he developed, solely to show friends back in the UK.

Automagically that one clip got picked up by Gizmodo, Engadget and a bunch of other tech journals. The end result (apart from a ton of views on Youtube) was to get hired as a consultant for Little Boots – creating a laser harp for her 2010 US tour.